Wave’s Lancaster store taken over by Joshua James

North of England retailer Joshua James Jewellery has been revealed as the new owner of Wave’s former Lancaster store.

Joshua James, run by managing director Shaun Bell, has saved the former Wave store from closure. He has given the store a complete re-brand under the Joshua James name, and has saved staff members’ jobs.

It was announced that the Lancaster store had been saved by an unnamed jewellery retailer in October, after Wave went into administration and was restructured in a pre-packaged deal in back in September.

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After what have been described as "lengthy but amicable talks" with Shaun Bell, Wave co-founders Paul Henderson and Jo Henderson reached an agreement to secure the jobs of the store’s staff who will now work under the Joshua James brand.
Bell said he was thrilled, encouraged and enthusiastic about the prospect of opening the new store, describing it as having a completely new look, feel and mentality.

He said: “I have been aware of this possibility for some time and believe it to be an excellent acquisition in a great location with many possibilities to take things to a new level.

“We are a relatively young company that has quickly become a well-established name in the industry. We have a great deal of experience in the retail and online sectors, and we will be utilising every aspect of that experience to bring the required level of growth to this new venture.

“As ever, we want to remain ahead of current trends with a vast and ever increasing range of the latest mid-range fashion that people desperately want to wear – especially at Christmas.”

The new store is scheduled to open on November 9 with Bell promising a dramatic change and "mood swing" for the store. He added: “This project has involved an unprecedented amount of work – around the clock over the last few weeks – but I’m sure shoppers will instantly appreciate the transformation in look and feel.”

Joshua James Jewellery also operates a boutique in East Yorkshire, as well as an e-commerce site. Among the watch brands it sells are Accurist, Casio, Citizen, Fossil, Ingersoll, Rotary and Skagen.